“Utilize Weapons in a Responsible Way”

W.J. Astore

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin Gives Israel a Blank Check to Kill

I was watching Congressman Ro Khanna question Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on 2/29 about Israel’s demolition of Gaza when Austin uttered a humdinger about trusting Israel to “utilize weapons that we provide them in a responsible way.” He said that after noting that Israel has already killed more than 25,000 women and children in Gaza.

What “responsible” looks like

U.S. weapons shipments and transfers to Israel are couched as “security assistance,” and these weapons are often paid for by the American taxpayer, or put on the national credit card for future generations to pay. When Americans get antsy about being complicit in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, the Biden administration, supported by many Republicans, remind them that allegedly these weapons for Israel create jobs in the USA.

“Genocide creates jobs” is not exactly a healthy slogan.

Of course, Lloyd Austin alone isn’t the problem here. The entire Biden administration supinely supports Israel and Bibi Netanyahu. Donald Trump, Biden’s most likely opponent this fall, is even more slavishly pro-Israel. 

And so the nightmare in Gaza continues as Israel utilizes its “Made in USA” bombs and missiles “in a responsible way.”  Responsible in this case meaning the killing and injuring of more than 100,000 Palestinians and the destruction of Gaza’s ability to sustain human life for the remaining two million Palestinians there.

7 thoughts on ““Utilize Weapons in a Responsible Way””

  1. Excerpt from my article: “War Trauma and Forgetting” :
    In her book on “Moral Injury and War Culture”, Kelly-Borhaug quoted the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, who spoke to veterans: “we know that war is not only in us, it is in everyone, veterans and non-veterans alike. We must share our insights [from the tragedies of war], not out of anger but out of love”. Buddhists understand that suffering has causal factors which inevitably result in consequences to the victims, but also to those who cause suffering, since they too will inevitably suffer the results of their actions.

    We try to obliterate the memory of war victims but “we do so by dehumanizing the victims, which, in turn, dehumanizes the military forces which are the causes of pain and suffering” (Borhaug). Yet it is the policy makers, enabled by political leaders, who contribute to wrongful conflict and war, although many of us are, to some degree, complicit. In order to atone for war’s atrocities we need to face the causes and then deal with the painful results which cannot be effaced or blotted out.

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    1. Thank You for sharing that, HUGHAEDH, Can You provide a link to Your full article?

      The writings of Thich Nhat Hahn have been and remain a very important Guide for me on my journey from two years in Vietnam in the 60s and two years in the Middle East in the 80s to today.

      And i think You let “we, the-to-some-degree complicit” off the hook a bit too easily.

      If a Critical Mass of The American Peoples rose up in EFECTIVE Strategic NonViolent Resistance To and Struggle Against America’s Wars in Ukraine and Palestine, things would change.

      And another way to atone for war’s atrocities is to face the causes and not merely deal with
      the painful result, is to take the necessary steps and actions to ensure that nothing like Palestine, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq II, Libya, Syria, Somalia, etc [aka “The Forever War”], Iraq I, Vietnam, and Korea never, EVER happens again.

      Liked by 2 people

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